When You're Good
by hope813
Summary: Being "The Good Guy" meant that you were on the bottom of the food chain. The Good Guy got cheated on, betrayed, slushied, and beaten up by his own teammates. Finn was done with all of that.


**Author's Note:** This fic is very different from my previous stories. It is based on _minor_ spoilers from the back nine episodes (clips aired on Entertainment Tonight) and some of my unconfirmed theories based on those spoilers. I hope that you enjoy it. Thanks to alifab and The Minsk for speculating along with me and their support! Please let me know what you think!

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**When You're Good**

He was fine. He was great. Fan-fucking-tastic. The looks of pity he'd been getting had been replaced by looks of jealousy. He was on top of the world.

Finn Hudson was officially back where he belonged.

Before the tip-off, he jogged over to the Cheerios, dancing on the sidelines. _Hello, there._ He eyed them each, one at a time, deciding which lucky girl he'd pick to celebrate with after they won the game. Or lost. Either way, he'd be celebrating. First up? Too tall. Next? Cute, but he was pretty sure she'd had her turn after the last game. Rule number one: no recycling. Girls got all clingy if you hung around too long. Moving on. Too blonde. He danced down the line, carefully examining the selection. And, what do we have here? Tiny, brunette, awesome legs...and, yes! Killer ass. We have a winner. He shot Jennifer--or was it _Jamie?_--a smile. Finn didn't have to know her name. He'd just forget it tomorrow, anyway. He didn't even bother waiting to see her reaction before jogging to center court. He knew it already. It would be the same as all the others.

It was always the same.

And the tip-off...and..._shit_!

"Finn, what the hell, man?" Eric shouted. He ignored the call from the point guard and headed down the court after the asswipe who'd stolen the ball. His eyes flickered back to the sidelines, and there she was--his own personal distraction. He did a double take. She was wearing a blue t-shirt that said "Team Finn" and waving at him manically. Finn quickly looked away. Focus on the game, he reminded himself. He'd deal with Rachel later. The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the first quarter.

Or maybe he'd deal with her now.

Jogging down the court, he flashed Jenn--_Jamie_ a grin. He glanced in Rachel's direction to make sure she was watching. She was; her excited smile dimmed as she watched him approach the cheerleader. _Just do it, man._ Without another thought, he grabbed Julia tightly by waste and crashed his lips to hers. He heard all of the catcalls and laughter from his teammates and the other Cheerios as her tongue pushed its way into his mouth. Finn pulled back and flashed his gaze toward Rachel to make sure she'd gotten the hint.

She had.

No longer looking at him, her head was bowed. _Damn it._ Finn didn't want to hurt Rachel, but it was better this way. She just didn't get it; he was done being "The Good Guy." He'd tried it, and all it gotten him was a giant kick in the nads. Being The Good Guy meant that you were on the bottom of the food chain. The Good Guy got cheated on, betrayed, slushied, and beaten up by his own teammates. Finn was done with all of that. He was especially done with relationships, so the last thing he needed was Rachel following him around like a puppy. He'd been bled dry and had nothing to left to give.

If things were different..._no._

All Rachel did was make him remember everything he was hell-bent on forgetting. The only thing that mattered was getting his reputation back. Just then, Rachel looked up. There were no tears. No look of shock or devastation. He frowned, baffled. Then, he saw the stubborn set of her jaw. Her eyes bore into his; his message had been received, loud and clear. He felt a sharp kick in the chest, knowing that Rachel had done nothing to deserve more pain and that he was the one causing it. Finn swallowed and looked away.

The brunette cheerleader stroked his chest and Finn realized that she'd been talking the whole time. Talking wasn't what he wanted. If he wanted talking, he'd be with...someone else. "So, Finn? Where are we going after the game? Brit's having a party." She looked at him from under her lashes caked in black gunk. "Or we could go to my house. My parents won't be home."

Jackpot! "Sounds perfect," he answered. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. Finn's eyes widened as he felt her grope his ass. Oh, yeah. He was done being The Good Guy. It was his turn to have a little fun.

Heading back toward center court, he smirked as the crowd chanted his name. Finn's eyes were drawn back to the bleachers and saw that Rachel was still staring straight at him. Somehow he knew that her eyes hadn't left him the entire time. His jaw clenched. It was starting to piss him off, actually. She was judging him; he could tell. Well, he'd never promised her anything. Finn was very happy having his old life back, thank you very much. Hell, it was better than his old life! He had no pain-in-the-ass girlfriend tying him down and was free to do whatever he wanted. Finn would not let anyone ruin it or make him feel guilty. Not even Rachel Berry. He was not The Good Guy anymore.

He had to let go of The Good Girl.

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**Author's Note # 2****:**I do not think that Finn would intentionally hurt Rachel, but I wanted to explore his emotional scars here. In order to do that, he had to know that he was hurting her, but I hope that it was clear that he did not want to. Yes, he is a mess! Poor Finn! Poor Rachel! Writing this angst hurt my heart! his was my first attempt at real angst. What did you think? This is a one-shot, but I might do a follow-up.


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